The first phase of the discovery process is carried out by a Network Protocol Manager data exchange adapter (DXA) program that imports relevant device topology information and CLI device-access objects from IP Availability Manager. The program imports instances of the following object classes:

  • UnitaryComputerSystem

  • IP

  • IPNetwork

  • IPv6

  • IPv6Network

  • Interface

  • Card

  • NetworkConnection

  • TrunkCable

  • CLI_AccessSetting

  • SNMPAgent

    All of these classes except CLI_AccessSetting are described in the IP Manager Concepts Guide and the IP Manager Reference Guide. CLI_AccessSetting represents the CLI device-access objects.

    The imported topology consists of BGP, EIGRP, IS-IS, or OSPF device (UnitaryComputerSystem) objects that are identified in UnitaryComputerSystem objects in a protocol topology collection set, along with the containment and connectivity objects that are associated with the device objects.

Table 1. UnitaryComputerSystem objects in a protocol topology collection set

Class name

Description

Vendor applicability

1**The indentations in the “Class name” column indicate class hierarchy.

2**Included in a topology collection set only if the switch has an interface card that is running a BGP, EIGRP, IS-IS, or OSPF service.

Router

A system that determines the next network point to which a packet should be forwarded as it travels toward its destination.

Juniper and Cisco

    Firewall1

A node that provides firewall functionality.

Juniper and Cisco

    VirtualRouter 1

A software emulation of a router that is implemented within a physical router or switch.

Juniper

    RSM 1

Route switch module. A router that is installed as a card in a switch to perform routing between virtual LANs (VLANs).

Cisco

    RSFC 1

Route switch feature card. A card in a Catalyst switch that runs Cisco IOS router software and is used to perform routing between VLANs.

Cisco

    MSFC 1

Multilayer switch feature card. A card in a switch that performs routing between VLANs.

Cisco

Switch 2

A system that switches packets, typically at wire speeds, between physically separate network segments.

Juniper and Cisco

The imported SNMPAgent objects have a one-to-one relationship with the imported device objects: When IP Availability Manager discovers an SNMPv1, v2c, or v3 device, it also discovers the device’s SNMP agent. The SNMP credentials for a device’s access are stored in the following attributes of the device’s SNMPAgent object:

  • ReadCommunity (SNMPv1 or v2c only)

  • User (SNMPv3 only)

  • AuthPass (SNMPv3 only)

  • AuthProtocol (SNMPv3 only)

  • PrivPass (SNMPv3 only)

  • PrivProtocol (SNMPv3 only)

  • EngineID (SNMPv3 only)

    The values for the User, AuthPass, AuthProtocol, PrivPass, PrivProtocol, and EngineID attributes constitute an SNMPv3 credential set. Depending on the security level, some of these attributes may be empty. For example, if the security level is "authentication only," the PrivProtocol and PrivPass attributes will be empty. Also, whenever a value is defined for AuthPass or PrivPass, that value will be encrypted.